Read the latest articles from The War Zone (Page 86)

US Special Operations Command has been tasked to lead the so-called "left-of-launch" fight against drones before they can get airborne or maybe are even produced in the first place.
Unmanned

Destroying Drones Before Launch Is Becoming A Major Mission For U.S. Special Operators

U.S. special operators might be sent to interdict drone components and sabotage production, as well as raid launch sites.

A jet ski loaded with explosives, and presumed to be of Ukrainian origin, has been found off the Turkish coast near Istanbul. The modified jet ski likely joins a growing fleet of Ukrainian kamikaze drone boats that have been notably effective in disrupting Russian Navy activities in the Black Sea, in the process sinking or damaging multiple warships.
Ukrainian Navy

Explosives-Packed Jet Ski Drone Appears Off Turkish Coast

The adapted commercial jet ski bears many of the hallmarks of Ukraine’s growing fleet of kamikaze drone boats.

F-15EX and J16, both two seaters, but one uses the second crewman in a different capacity than the traditional weapon system officer role.
F-15

USAF Should Look At China’s Future Multi-Crew Fighter Model For F-15EX

The F-15EX's currently empty rear cockpit needs to be taken advantage of by adding a new kind of second crewmen, an Air Mission Commanding Officer.

Chinese H-6-series aircraft have flown off the coast of Alaska for what appears to be the first time in an important show of force along with Russian Tu-95 Bear bombers.
H-6 Bomber

Chinese H-6 Missile Carrier Jets Appear For The First Time Off Alaska (Updated)

The arrival of Chinese H-6s off American shores is a major, but not unexpected landmark in China's power projection evolution.

Ukraine's low-cost acoustic drone detection network is gaining increasing interest from the U.S. and allies.
Unmanned

Ukraine’s Acoustic Drone Detection Network Eyed By U.S. As Low-Cost Air Defense Option

Ukraine's network of nearly 10,000 acoustic sensors has been highly effective and the U.S. Army is interested in copying it.

A C-130J on the production line in Marietta

C-130 Factory: How Iconic Hercules Airlifters Are Born

Branded Content: Inside the Marietta C-130 plant, the longest-running military aircraft production line in history.

The United Kingdom is advancing the build of a new fighter demonstrator as part of its Tempest next-generation air combat program. The demonstrator, so far only known as the Flying Technology Demonstrator, is planned to fly within the next three years and its progress in an important boost for the Tempest stealth fighter — and wider Future Combat Air System (FCAS) — program, the future of which has recently begun to be questioned in some quarters.
Typhoon

Tempest Stealth Fighter Flying Demonstrator Takes Shape

For the first time, we have gotten a look at the Flying Technology Demonstrator that will feed into the Tempest fighter program.

The US Army is eyeing adding the SM-6 to its air and missile defense arsenal, in addition to work already being done to field it in the long-range strike role.
U.S. Army

SM-6 Eyed As New Surface-To-Air Interceptor For The Army

SM-6, which the Army is already fielding to strike targets on land and at sea, could help bolster the service's strained air defense branch.

The ballooning cost of the US Air Force's Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile program is one of the drivers behind uncertainly over the future of its sixth-generation combat jet effort, which could evolve into a fully uncrewed platform.
NGAD

Next Generation Air Dominance Fighter Uncertainty Tied To Sentinel ICBM Woes

The NGAD combat jet might evolve into a fully uncrewed platform amid a need to cut costs to pay for even higher-priority programs.

General Atomics has told TWZ that it’s looking at adapting its ship-based Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System and Advanced Arresting Gear, EMALS and AAG, respectively, for use from land bases. While the company first developed EMALS and AAG for the U.S. Navy’s Ford class aircraft carriers, the growing interest in expeditionary campaigns ashore is driving new thinking about how to operate aircraft without access to large traditional runways.
Land

Ford Class Carrier’s EMALS Catapults, AAG Arrester Gear Eyed For Land Bases

The potential of the EMALS and AAG to open up new possibilities for austere land-based operations is now being explored.

The embarked security team aboard the M/V Pumba destroyed a Houthi drone boat before it could cause any damage.
Red Sea

Ship Security Team Appears To Detonate Explosive-Laden Houthi Drone Boat With Gunfire

An embarked security team fired about two dozen shots at the approaching Houthi drone boat, with it exploding just before it could cause any damage.

A look at an AIM-174 air-launched version of the SM-6 missile with previously unseen markings under the wing of a Super Hornet aboard the USS Carl Vinson has emerged.
F/A-18E/F

AIM-174 Missile Seen On Super Hornet About To Launch From A Carrier For First Time

The AIM-174 slung under the wing of a Super Hornet aboard the USS Carl Vinson has different markings than what we've spotted so far.

General Atomics has revealed a new fifth member of its Gambit modular drone family that is carrier-capable and that could represent a step forward in a broader naval aviation vision for the United Kingdom and other countries.
Q-9

New Carrier-Based Version Of The Gambit Family Of Combat Drones Is In The Works

Gambit 5 is part of a broader uncrewed naval aviation vision that General Atomics is pitching to the United Kingdom and other customers.

Ukraine carried out two long-range drone attacks in Russia, striking a refinery and an air base.
Russia

Ukraine Situation Report: Large Two-Pronged Drone Attack Struck Russian Refinery, Airbase

Ukraine continues to step up its long-range drone campaign against critical energy infrastructure and military airfields inside Russia.

The latest concept configuration for the tri-national next-generation Tempest fighter has been unveiled, with the latest design apparently being tailored for long-range performance combined with a significant payload capacity. The appearance of the new full-scale model comes amid growing questions about the future of the program, with the U.K. government poised to launch a major defense spending review.
Fighters

Latest Tempest Fighter Concept Prioritizes Range, Payload

The latest iteration of the Tempest concept arrives amid Italian and Japanese concerns over the future of the program.

First inside look at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new VIP transport aircraft
Israeli Air Force

Israel’s New 767 “Air Force One” Has Flown Its First Prime Minister Transport Mission

Netanyahu's first flight aboard the Israeli Air Force-operated 767-300ER is to Washington, D.C.

W76-1 warhead
Nuclear Policy

Current American Nuclear Warhead Inventory Numbers Revealed

After a hiatus that lasted several years, the United States has reintroduced a higher level of nuclear transparency.

The US Secret Service is looking to buy new bolt-action sniper rifles.
Sniper Rifles

Secret Service Wants New Sniper Rifles

The new modular rifles will be able to quickly switch among four different cartridges and will feature a two-to-three-pound trigger pull.

Trump is proposing an Iron Dome air defense system for the US.
Iron Dome

Trump’s Nebulous “Iron Dome” Pledge Actually Reflects Very Real Homeland Threats

Concerns have been growing at the highest levels of government about the inadequacy of domestic air defenses, especially for countering cruise missiles and drones.

Yemen Port Strike by Israeli Air Force
Israel

Details Of Israel’s Long-Range Strike That Decimated Yemeni Port Emerge

Israeli fighters used man-in-the-loop guided weapons to destroy the Houthi-controlled port of Hudaydah's only large overhead dock cranes.